Gas prices jump to $3.75 in Northern Michigan overnight

Rub your eyes and take another look: gas prices in Northern Michigan jumped from $3.59 yesterday to $3.75 today.

According to a press release on AAA's website, the organization expected gas prices to rise in February because of refinery actions, and that seemed to play out as the calender ticked from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1.

Prices per gallon were $3.63 across Michigan yesterday, $3.55 a week ago and $3.30 a month ago, according to Nancy Cain, spokesperson for AAA Michigan.

"The main reason is that there have been rising crude oil. The price of crude oil has been coming up for the last eight weeks," she said. "It's kind of surprising: normally, January is a month in which we see the cheapest gas prices. It's the least driven month."

But, she said, refineries are "experiencing issues" across the Midwest.

"Sometimes they have to make a change or upgrade something," Cain said. "It just seems like a somewhat fragile system in terms of a problem somewhere (affecting gas prices.) Even general maintenance sometimes."

Michigan drivers saw among the nation's highest jump in gas prices over the month of January, according to AAA. Drivers are paying an average of 23 cents per gallon more now, on the beginning of February, than at the start of the year.

"Hopefully this trend won't go up a whole lot longer," said Cain. "At least for now, motorists should be prepared to pay more."